At dawn in Chanchanji Ward, an agrarian community in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State, the promise of harvest has given way to fear and mourning. Residents say birdsong has been replaced by gunshots, hurried footsteps and whispered prayers as families abandon their homes to escape persistent violence.
Farmlands that sustained generations of Tiv farmers now lie deserted, dotted with burnt homesteads and shallow graves. Survivors, community leaders and clerics allege that sustained attacks by suspected herdsmen have followed a chilling pattern: armed men raid villages and farmlands, kill residents, torch houses and force mass displacement.
What began about two months ago as sporadic clashes has, according to locals, escalated into sustained violence many fear amounts to ethnic cleansing and religious persecution.
Residents told reporters that the assaults often target farmers while they are working on their fields, leaving entire communities deserted overnight. “People flee with nothing,” one resident said. “All that remains are ashes, broken tools and silence.”
The situation worsened recently when security sources confirmed that three soldiers were killed in an ambush near Avande village, close to Kufai Ahmadu, while responding to distress calls from affected communities. The incident has deepened fears that existing security measures have been overwhelmed.
“If soldiers sent to protect us were killed, then we are completely exposed,” said Nongonen Terngu, a displaced farmer. “We no longer farm; we are only seeking to survive.”
The crisis has now reached the Taraba State House of Assembly. During plenary, Abubakar Tanko Yusuf, who represents Takum I State Constituency, described the killings as “barbaric and unnecessary,” warning that what appeared to be isolated incidents had evolved into sustained violence threatening the stability of Takum and neighbouring areas.
Tanko urged security agencies to urgently investigate the attacks, apprehend the perpetrators and ensure their prosecution. He warned that continued inaction could embolden criminal elements, while calling for strengthened security deployment, improved intelligence gathering and community engagement in identified flashpoints.
Beyond the legislature, religious leaders have also raised alarm. During a thanksgiving Mass in Taraba State, Bishop Mark Maigida Nzukwein delivered a homily that doubled as a plea for urgent intervention. Speaking at the election of Very Rev. Dr. Williams Awoshiri and Mr. Job Julius as chairmen of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and YOWICAN respectively, the bishop painted a grim picture of violence in Southern Taraba.
He alleged that more than 70 people had been killed in violent attacks across Ussa and Takum local government areas in the past three months alone, with Chanchanji Ward worst affected. According to him, over 200 villages have experienced destruction of homes and farmlands, leading to mass displacement.
“These are not just numbers,” Bishop Nzukwein said. “They are lives, families and communities being wiped away quietly.”
Looking beyond recent months, the cleric described what he termed a prolonged humanitarian catastrophe, alleging that over the past three decades, violence in Southern Taraba has led to the destruction of more than 335 rural communities and churches, and displaced over 300,000 people, many without access to relief or medical care.
Community leaders say the figures reflect realities on the ground. Local reports indicate that more than 95 communities in Chanchanji Ward alone have been affected, including Unom, Adu, Facii, Atogbenda, New Gboko, Akwaya, Gberugo, Demava, Avaande, Tse Peeki, Tse Karmal, Tse Akanyi, Tse Ugbãa, Kwanta, Wambe, Wantsar, Ayiase, Vendagoor, Kumun, Virgir and Dooshiman.
Women and children have crowded into neighbouring communities, farmlands remain idle and local markets struggle to operate.
Religious leaders argue that the victims are largely Christian farming communities, a pattern they say fuels fears of targeted persecution, echoing recent international concerns, including comments by former United States President Donald Trump on alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria.
While authorities often frame the violence as resource-based conflict, affected communities insist the scale, consistency and duration of the attacks demand deeper scrutiny.
When contacted, the Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Victor Mshelizah, said security personnel had been deployed to restore calm. “Security personnel have been deployed to the area to restore peace. We are doing everything to keep every part of Taraba safe,” he said.
As tension remains high in Chanchanji Ward, residents say they no longer want sympathy but concrete action. “We want security, justice and the chance to return home,” a community leader said.
For now, blood-soaked farmlands, funeral services in churches and abandoned villages stand as stark reminders of a deepening crisis. Community leaders warn that without decisive intervention by the Federal Government and the international community, Chanchanji could become another tragic symbol of Nigeria’s unresolved Middle Belt conflict, where faith, ethnicity and survival collide.
